The NBA has just released the results of their annual Rookie Survey, which asks the incoming players to answers questions about the upcoming season including who is most likely to win Rookie of the Year, who will have the best career and who is their favorite current NBA player.
When it comes to the 2017-18 NBA Rookie of the Year, Vegas sportsbooks are split between Lakers point guard Lonzo Ball and last year's #1 overall pick, Ben Simmons. However, the rookies believe Dallas Mavericks point guard Dennis Smith Jr. has the best odds to take home the ROY hardware at the end of the season.
Here's how the ROY voting played out amongst the rookies, per NBA.com,
1. Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas -- 25.7%
2. Lonzo Ball, L.A. Lakers -- 20.0%
3. Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia -- 17.1%
4. Kyle Kuzma, L.A. Lakers -- 5.7%
Donovan Mitchell, Utah -- 5.7 %
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia -- 5.7%
It's worth noting, only once have the rookies correctly predicted the Rookie of the Year and that was in 2007, when 53.5% predicted that Kevin Durant would win. Vegas currently has Dennis Smith Jr, as the third highest odds to win Rookie of the Year with odds of 4-1.
Which rookie will have the best career? The incoming class of future NBA stars were split between Lonzo and Celtics forward, Jayson Tatum. Both players had 18.4% of the vote, per NBA.com,
1. Lonzo Ball, L.A. Lakers -- 18.4%
Jayson Tatum, Boston -- 18.4%
3. Josh Jackson, Phoenix -- 10.5%
Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas -- 10.5%
5. De'Aaron Fox, Sacramento -- 7.9%
6. Markelle Fultz, Philadelphia -- 5.3%
Harry Giles, Sacramento -- 5.3%
Ben Simmons, Philadelphia -- 5.3%
The 2017 class think Donovan Mitchell, who was picked by the Utah Jazz with the #13 pick, was the biggest steal of the draft, followed by Dennis Smith Jr who the Mavs took 9th overall. Smith was also voted far and away the most athletic, receiving 43.6% of the vote. If you've seen his incredible dunks this off-season, that shouldn't come as a surprise at all.
As part of the Rookie Survey, the players were also asked about current NBA stars and who their favorite player is. LeBron James came in at #1 with 31.5% of the vote, followed by Russell Westbrook (19.4%) and Kawhi Leonard (8.3%).
Other notable categories include:
Best Shooter - Luke Kennard, Detroit Pistons (48.6%)
Best Defender - Josh Jackson, Phoenix Suns (26.3%)
Best Playmaker - Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers (71.8%)
You can check out the full results of the NBA Rookie Survey here.
